Envelope opener and contents projector



April 8, 1924." 1,489,476

' J. BOTNAR ENVELOPE OPENER AND CONTENTS PROJECTOR Filed Sept. 2-. 1922 Patented Apr. 8, 1924.

UNITED STATES JASON BO'INAR, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

ENVELOPE OPENER AND CONTENTS PROJECTOR.

Application filed September 2, 1922. Serial No. 586,016.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J ASON BOTNAR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Envelope Openers and Contents Projectors; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention has for its object to provide an envelope opener and projector for the contents thereof, and, to this end, it consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings;

F ig. 1 is a back view of a sealed envelope having the invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1, with the exception that the envelope is open and the contents and projector placed part way therein;

Fig. 3 is a view in transverse section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 1 is a view of the contents and projector removed from the envelope; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of the contents of the envelope and projector removed from the envelope.

The numeral 6 indicates, as shown in Fig. 1, a sealed envelope containing a folded letter 7. Attached within the envelope, at one of its longitudinal edges is a tearing thread 8, which may be of either fabric or metal and has a projecting end by which said thread may be pulled to tear the envelope 6 open.

The contents projector, as shown, is in the form of'a U-shaped spring 9, each end of which is coiled to afford a clip 10. Before the envelope is sealed and the letter 7 placed therein, one of the clips 10 is fastened to said letter within certain of its folds, so that the respective end of the spring 9 bears against one of the longitudinal edges of said letter, as best shown in Figs. 3 and 5. The letter 7 and the projector 9 is then placed in the envelope 6 with the other end of the spring in engagement with the opposite longitudinal edge of the envelope from which the thread 8 is secured. lViththe spring 9 thus arranged, the same is compressed and placed under tension when the letter 7 is placed entirely within the envelope 6, as

letter 7, under the action of the spring 9,

is moved through the torn open edge of the envelope and into the persons hand, which is used to open the envelope 6 by means of the thread 8. By forming a clip 10 on each end of the wire 9, either of said clips may be used to attach the spring 9 to the letter 7 and the other clip, which is on the end of the spring 9 that bears against the envelope 6, will prevent said end from cutting through or tearing the envelope 6.

It is, of course, understood that the tearing thread 8 may be extended outward of either or both ends of the envelope 6.

What I claim is:

1. A U-shaped spring adapted to be placed in an envelope and compressed by the engagement of its ends, the one with the envelope and the other with the contents thereof, whereby said contents will be projected when the envelope is opened, said spring being provided at one end with a clip for attaching the spring to the contents of the envelope.

2. A U-shaped spring adapted to be placed in an envelope and compressed by the engagement of its ends, the one with the envelope and the other with the contents thereof, whereby said contents will be projected when the envelope is opened, said spring being provided at each end with a clip, either of which may be attached to the contents of the envelope.

3. The combination with an envelope having means for tearing the same open, and a spring in the envelope arranged to project the contents thereof when the same is torn open.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JASON BOTNAR. 

